Saturday, July 14, 2012

Something
about Charter change seems to be brewing between Malacañang and
Congress, despite Noynoy’s claimed resistance to changes in the 1987
Constitution and the two houses of Congress said to be determined to
push Cha-cha.
That something is the not quite categorical stand of
Noynoy in his claimed rejection of changes in the Charter in “any form
or shape.”

Even as he claimed to be surprised at the two
congressional leaders’ move to push Cha-cha, he also said he was willing
to “listen” to them in their wisdom on the need for changes and
amendments to the Constituion.

His Lady Gaga also said something
about the need for the two leaders of Congress to convice Noynoy on
constitutional changes. That is a fairly contradictory statement from
Noynoy and the Palace, considering that they claim to be firm on
Noynoy’s position on rejecting Cha-cha..... MORE

There
are many reasons Charter change is not likely to fly even under the
Noynoy presidency, and Sen. Miriam Santiago’s reasons are pretty sound.

Despite
claims of the congressional leaders that only the economic provisions —
with the additional military provisions arising allegedly from the
tensions and problems over the disputed areas in the South China Sea —
will be tackled, and by a consituent assembly (con-ass), the fact is
that the moment Charter change moves (Cha-cha) come, there is no one —
not even the Senate leader nor the Speaker, who can stop any member of
Congress from opening the floodgates for any issue brought up in plenary
for amendments.

The truth is, to amend the Constitution merely to attract more foreign investors, won’t be the solution.Investors
will always pour their investment funds in any country — whether run
under a dictatorship or a democracy — as long as profits can be made and
the country’s peace and order problem is under control.

Investors
don’t need to own land. They can always get close to 100 years lease in
this country. As for the 60-40 percent sharing in favor of Filipinos,
there certainly are many ways to get around this sharing percentage —
and legitimately..... MORE

To
view matters objectively, the 1987 Constitution is long due for an
overhaul to update its restrictive provisions on the economy which are
serious limiting factors for investors exploring possibilities in the
country and some other aberrations caused by the intense political
atmosphere when it was crafted.

This has been the position of most presidents after the term of President Cory Aquino, Noynoy’s mother.

It
would be a bitter pill to swallow, however, for Noynoy to admit defects
in the Charter crafted during the term of his mother who supposedly
delivered the nation from a dictatorship.

The 1987 Constitution was a
total eradication of its 1973 version which was abolished immediately
after Cory came to power through a revolt and she ruled for a full year
as an absolute dictator, where she was the sole government and the sole
law...... MORE

The White House has finally responded to criticism over US President
Barack Obama’s hushed signing last week of an Executive Order that
allows the government to command privately-owned communication systems
and acknowledges its implications.

When President Obama inked his name to the Assignment of National
Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions Executive
Order on July 6, he authorized the US Department of Homeland Security to
take control of the country’s wired and wireless communications —
including the Internet — in instances of emergency. The signing was
accompanied with little to no acknowledgment outside of the White House,
but initial reports on the order quickly caused the public to speak out
over what some equated to creating an Oval Office kill switch for the
Web. Now the Obama administration is addressing those complaints by
calling the Executive Order a necessary implement for America’s national
security..... MORE

A recently-released Pentagon report admits to interrogating
Guantanamo Bay prisoners after administering mind-altering treatments to
them - often forcibly against their will - but stresses it was not done
for the purposes of interrogation.

The report by the inspector general of the US Department of Defense
obtained by truth-out.org under the Freedom of Information Act, found
that some Gitmo inmates were questioned while receiving prescribed
psychoactive treatments.

The Pentagon has tried to justify the facility staff’s actions, saying that “nowhere
in the medical records did we find any evidence of mind-altering drugs
being administered for the purpose of interrogation,” as the report states on page 13..... MORE

Social networking sites aren’t just for keeping in touch with friends
anymore. Facebook is using technology to thwart sex predators - but the
site’s good deeds come at the cost of invading the privacy of its
users.

­Facebook uses a combination of technology and human monitoring techniques to keep tabs on its 1 billion members.

Efforts
usually begin with an automated screening for inappropriate language
and exchanges of personal information. Employees teach software what to
seek out by using the online records of convicted pedophiles.
If a monitored conversation raises suspicion with Facebook employees, they will then contact local authorities..... MORE

The UN experts urged the authorities to carry out prompt, impartial
and independent investigations into the growing number of threats and
killings of rights defenders to hold perpetrators to account and to
fight impunity.

MANILA – Amid reports of killings and death threats against human
rights defenders in the Philippines, two United Nations Special
Rapporteurs on human rights defenders and extrajudicial executions
called on the Philippine government to adopt urgent measures to protect
the life of rights defenders and to ensure they are able to carry out
their important work.

The UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders
defines human rights defenders as those who seek the promotion and
protection of civil and political rights as well as the promotion,
protection and realization of economic, social and cultural rights.

In a statement
posted at its website, the UN experts said that a number of cases have
been reported to them involving death threats and, in the worst of
cases, killings of human rights defenders since the killing of Fr. Fausto Tentorio in Mindanao last year.

Tentorio, a Catholic Italian missionary, was killed inside the
compound of a local Church, October 17 by suspected state agents. Human
rights group Karapatan reported that under the two-year term of
President Benigno Aquino III, there have been 95 of victims of
extrajudicial killings. Recent cases include the murder of Dutch
missionary Willem Geertman and Romualdo Palispis,
chair of Justice and Peace Action Group (JPAG). Karapatan also reported
the killing of Arnolfo Vaflor, a member of an affiliate of the National
Federation of Sugar Workers in Negros Occidental on July 9.

“Many of the cases involve individuals and organizations working to
defend the right to a healthy environment,” said Margaret Sekaggya,
Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders. “Disputes over land rights
and campaigns against mining and dam projects infringing on the rights
of local communities tend to be sensitive, and those defending such
rights are often met with violence.”.... MORE

Currently the coordinator for the Makabayan coalition of political
parties and its chapter in the National Capital Region (NCR), Rodriquez
is also a core group member of the Tutok Karapatan Artists’ Initiatives
and the well-known group that makes the impressive effigies that are
burned during important political protests the UGAT Lahi Artist
Collective. His work in these organizations are considerable, but he
manages to juggle his workload through discipline.

Discipline is a crucial thing with Rodriguez. Born Raoul Ignacio
Mallillin Rodriguez in Zamboanga, the 37-year old artist was not “born”
with the innate ability to draw or paint.

“It was something I willed myself to do,” he explained.

In grade school, he watched classmates and friends draw images in
their notebooks, and while he himself was not inclined to draw at that
time, he liked the idea.

“I liked the idea of creating images, of copying ones that I liked. I
found it interesting. I didn’t do it myself, but I liked seeing the
work of others,” he said.

His elder brother often brought home comic books (“Marvel Comics,
Heavy Metal, that sort of thing”) and he was amazed at what he saw.

“It was like seeing the world interpreted in a different way. The way
the characters were drawn, the scenery, the entire conceptualization
and consequent rendering. Before then I didn’t know that there was such a
way to depict the world,” he shared.

The beginning of his journey as an artist officially began, however,
when he was forced to stay in the library one afternoon in high school.
Rodriguez can’t recall the exact circumstances that led to his afternoon
detention in the library (“Maybe it was raining, I don’t remember), but
he will never forget the artist that first inspired him to try to be
one himself. He found a book on Pablo Picasso and his work during his
so-named Blue Period.

(Photo by Ina Alleco R. Silverio / bulatlat.com)

Picasso’s Blue Period refers to the time between 1901 and 1904, when
the Italian artist created essentially monochromatic paintings using
the colors blue and blue-green. He made his paintings at a time in his
life when he was depressed over the death of a friend and retreated
from society. The paintings themselves evoke feelings of sadness,
loneliness and a lack of hope.

“I was affected by the images themselves and how they were rendered. I
was only a high school student, but I’d already heard of Picasso even
then. That afternoon was the first time I’d really looked — I mean
looked– at his work and I told myself that I would work hard to be a
painter, an artist myself,” he said.

Rodriquez has no qualms about admitting that he only learned to draw
and paint in college at the University of Sto. Tomas where he took a
course in fine arts and advertising. He said whatever talent he has, he
cultivated and honed it by studying and constant practice. He literally
taught himself to draw, pushing and goading himself until wielding a
pen or a paintbrush became second nature to him.

“Many artists are said to be innately talented and that they are able
to create merely from sheer inspiration, goaded by a muse of their own
making. I didn’t start off like that, and up to now I cannot say that I
need to be inspired to create. My own process of creating art always
starts with me confronting myself with the necessity to create: tired or
not, inspired or not, I need to be always practicing my craft and I
want to be always learning ways to improve it,” he said. His right index
finger has a rough callus, a testament to his daily routine of drawing
at least one hour a day and more on days when his schedule permits..... MORE

PHNOM PENH - Days of heated
diplomacy at Southeast Asian talks ended in failure Friday as deep
splits over China prevented the Asean grouping from issuing its
customary joint statement for the first time.Foreign ministers from
the 10-member bloc have been wrangling since Monday to hammer out a
diplomatic communique, which has held up progress on a separate code of
conduct aimed at soothing tension in the flashpoint South China Sea.But Beijing on Friday described the Asean Summit that broke down amid deep divisions over China as “productive.”A
foreign ministry spokesman emphasized China’s position had been
supported by some among the 10-member Asean nations during their
meeting in Cambodia that ended Friday without a customary joint
communique.“It is a productive meeting and China’s views and
position on many issues have won the appreciation and support of many
participating countries,” China’s ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said when asked to comment on the summit.“Over
the years this Asian regional cooperation has made important
achievements relating to regional peace, stability, development and
prosperity..... MORE

President
Aquino, who has portrayed himself as a popular leader walking the
straight path, was voted upon in an online survey that saw him as the
world’s worst leader.

Two years in the presidential office and Aquino
garnered the highest votes in a web-based poll for the World’s Worst
Leaders.According to a website Rankopedia (rankopedia.com), the likes
of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, George Bush, Fidel Castro and even Mao
Tse Tung are no match to the Philippine President who was voted by
internet users from around the world as the “World’s Worst Leader.”

Aquino,
who is only on his second year as Philippine President, notched the top
spot in the list of the World’s Worst Leaders, garnering 63.54 points,
followed by German Nazi fascist Adolf Hitler at far second with 43.50
points.

The list of the World’s Worst Leaders also had the incumbent
President’s mother, Corazon Aquino, his predecessor, and his family’s
mortal enemy in the 30,000-member strong Rankopedia roster..... MORE

A
ruling by the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the Office of the
Ombudsman in deciding to drop graft charges against business tycoon
Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile for
alleged behest loans and investments made by the United Coconut Planters
Bank in the United Coconut Oil Mills Inc. (Unicom) during their stint
as members of the Board of Directors of the United Coconut Planters Bank
(UCPB).

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Roberto Abad
dated June 26, the tribunal ruled that Cojuangco, Enrile and 16 others
could no longer be prosecuted since the charges against them had
already prescribed. In the case of respondents, who were charged by
the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for violation of Sec. 3 (e)
of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the
prescriptive period is 10 years.

“Prescription of actions is a valued
rule in all civilized states from the beginning of organized society.
It is a rule of fairness since, without it, the plaintiff can postpone
the filing of his action to the point of depriving the defendant,
through the passage of time, of access to defense witnesses who would
have died or left to live elsewhere, or to documents that would have
been discarded or could no longer be located,” the high court said..... MORE

President Aquino, who has repeatedly claimed he is
against efforts to transform the country into a premier gambling
destination, just found himself welcoming corporate developments hinting
at a possible joint venture between the Gokongwei property development
firm and Macau casino magnate Kazuo Okada.

At the regular press
briefing in Malacañang, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang
described the imminent partnership between Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC)
and the famous casino mogul behind Macau’s casino boom as a welcome
development.

The reported joint venture, which has already been
approved in principle by both parties, embarks on multibillion-dollar
tourism and casino complex “Entertainment City Manila.”

“If there is
interest in investing in the Philippines, we certainly welcome this
activity,” said Carandang who was made to fill the shoes of the
President’s spokesman....MORE

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) challenged
President Aquino to take action on several bills for teachers’
compensation pending before the houses of Congress.

Benjo Basas, the
group’s chairman said “this is the high time to discuss the pending
bills on teachers’ salaries and this is far more important than the
proposed K+12 program of the government.”

Basas noted that several
bills have been proposed since the opening of the 15th Congress and the
most common were proposals that sought to upgrade the salaries of public
school teachers from the current Salary Grade 11 (SG-11) to higher
positions under the Salary Standardization Law 3 (SLL-3), which was
fully implemented last month.

“We appreciate any proposal that seeks
to augment the living of our teachers because this is a testament that
the legislators know what is due the teachers and the government
recognizes its mistake for putting us in a very low position in
government classification.”.... MORE

At the celebration of the Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise (MSME) Development Week at the Megatrade Hall 2 and 3 in
Megamall, Bayan Rep. Teddy Casiño called on the Aquino administration
for all out support for MSMEs, saying this was what the country needed
to lower unemployment and jump-start the economy.

Casiño, who chairs
the committee on small business and entrepreneurship development in the
House, was the special guest of honor at the opening of the exhibit
“Eats more Fun in the Philippines” Medium and Small Enterprise
Development Week, which will run from July 12 to 15.

“We can stem the
brain drain if we are able to provide enough jobs and livelihoods in
the local economy. Though there is still no substitute for comprehensive
industrialization coupled with genuine agrarian reform for the
development of our economy, increased government support for MSMEs will
be a good start,” the solon said..... MORE

Vice President Jejomar Binay said he will ask for
the cancellation of Globe Asiatique (GA) owner Delfin Lee’s passport if
reports that the controversial property developer has left the country
to evade arrest are confirmed.

Aside from cancelling Lee’s passport, the government could also request for Lee to be extradited back to the country, he added.

Caloocan
City Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri said yesterday the number of
dengue cases in the city has decreased in the first six months of the
year.

Based on the report submitted by City Health Officer Dr. Raquel
So-Sayo, 834 cases of dengue were reported in the city from Jan. 1 to
June 11 this year. This is a 15-percent decrease as compared to the 983
cases listed in the same period last year.

While the city ranks
third in the Department of Health’s list with the most number of dengue
cases in Metro Manila, it only posted 0.5 percent Case Fatality Rate
with four persons dead from the disease..... MORE